Del Alexander? How many of them coached for Kelly prior to being added to the ND staff? Rees wasn't a particularly creative hire, but I'm not ready to condemn him yet, even after it was under the guise of a larger search.

For everyone who says Kelly definitively needs to go outside the program for the DC hire, who ya got, and why?

I don't have an answer. Even if it ends up being Elston, condemning him before he coaches a game is lazy and stupid.

the moment he held his press conference for Vandy after the Clemson game.

If Kelly is going to roll with Elston then he should have cut ties then and not dealt with that distraction. Maybe I’m off base here, but i don’t see Saban letting Sark hold his own press conference before the championship game. Certainly not in the wake of it.

during the run to the playoffs, all stayed except Kiffin who left by mutual agreement before the 2016 championship game.

Smart was named Georgia HC Dec 2 2015, held a press conference Dec 7th and the CFP playoffs started Dec 31 with Alabama beating Mich State 38-0 and then Clemson later 45-40.

I stand corrected on Saban. He certainly runs a tighter ship with a better margin for error. It's just going to be tough for me to get over seeing Lea holding a press conference in Nashville the morning after getting waxed in the ACC championship game.

And the fact that he's already assembling a staff as a first time head coach in the days following getting waxed in the Rose bowl only reinforces the notion that he'd been, apparently, burning both ends of the candle.